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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24888841">Q-jà Dé</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWildTrashCan/pseuds/AWildTrashCan'>AWildTrashCan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Double Switch [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ratchet &amp; Clank</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But he's ok, Hero Nefarious, Role Reversal, Roleswap, Villain Qwark, also he dies, hero in a very loose sense, in one line tho so i'm not tagging him, lawrence is mentioned, nef's just decided not to take over the world he's still kind of a jerk, origin story baby, qwark is making even worse decisions than in canon, qwark-centric, rated t cause nef has no swear censors to stop him now, takes place entirely before the first game</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:07:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24888841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWildTrashCan/pseuds/AWildTrashCan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Copernicus L. Qwark is doing just fine in life. Sure, he's been stuck in high school for...quite a while, but now he's just had an epiphany! One that will help him change the world and have him at the very center! The universe shall know (and fear) the name Captain Qwark!</p>
<p>It's a shame someone from his past has to get in his way, though...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Double Switch [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800946</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Q-jà Dé</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Who knew writing video game characters was so hard?</p>
<p>But yeah I came up with this idea cause I'm a sucker for roleswap AUs in general and switching these two seemed the most interesting (also I'm biased towards writing them cause they're my faves). This is the first work in a series that will hopefully span throughout the game series, although I will be skipping the games Nef had no real role in cause, well, Qwark's gotta get in there sometime and those are not those times. And as a closing note, hooray for the PS5 game! </p>
<p>But Insomniac where is the Nef trailer, we've got a hologram but he's so close yet so far, cmon I just wanna ta</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Look, I understand your frustrations and lack of focus—I’ve been in your shoes before! But you won’t get anywhere near the stars you want to reach if you don’t even bother trying to get the stars Mr. Bozell gives you each Friday <i>if</i> you pass his quizzes. You’ve also refused to join the Junior Space Cadets’ Training Corps, let alone being able to apply for the superhero correspondence course with your… current academic and behavioral records, so I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do. Why don’t you work on getting those grades up, and we’ll talk again at the end of the semester.”</p>
<p>Qwark slowly nods. He forces a bright, well-practiced smile onto his face before replacing it with a scowl as soon as he swivels on his heel to walk away from the main office and its tacky wallpaper, bumping into and knocking school materials from another student’s hands out of spite as he passes by. </p>
<p>He ignores the irritated grumbling of the freak with the headgear—he can’t remember the freak’s name right now in his horrid mood. Neftin? Ned? Eh, who cares, he’ll always be King of the Nerd Herd with that big brain of his—as he picks up his textbooks and scattered sheets of paper.</p>
<p>Qwark makes his way through the crowd of students still milling about the halls, an action made easy for him due to his intimidating size and stature. </p>
<p>And also anybody who stands in front of him for too long gets a venomous stink-eye, but that’s neither here nor there.</p>
<p>After passing through the science wing and turning left, he finally arrives at his one place of sanctuary in this hellhole of a public school. A closet he repurposed into his own personal hideout after "borrowing" the keys from one of the newer faculty members that was easily persuaded.</p>
<p>When he flips the light switch after a couple blind slaps at the wall, the lightbulb in the very center of the room slowly flickers to life and fills the air with an electric hum. He grabs the top notebook from a stack on a metal shelf and plops down on the seat in front of a dusty table. </p>
<p>Picking up a pencil he left on the table earlier, he gets to work on filling the rest of the notebook's pages with random notes and scribbles of whatever comes to mind. Honestly, half of this notebook is already filled with doodles and unrelated notes from when he's too bored to pay attention in class, but he's gotten into the habit of writing in it lately. </p>
<p>It's calming, in some way he can't care to explain because there's not all that much to it. It's just nice to get his thoughts out onto paper. Thoughts like how much this place sucks.</p>
<p>Students usually describe school as pointless and soul-draining, and Qwark is very inclined to agree. An endless cycle of class after class, page after page of studying. And for what? Just so after wasting nearly a fifth of his life, he can get a congratulatory sheet of paper that's apparently supposed to be worth the time spent killing any sort of spirit or motivation to actually <i>do</i> something that matters to the world? And then immediately have to spend at least another four years in even more stressful conditions just so he could get another sheet of paper that makes people think, "Hey look, this guy isn't a complete moron and can actually achieve someth—</p>
<p>Qwark's pencil snaps in two.</p>
<p>He glares at the splintered wood and tosses it into the waste bin overflowing with crumpled sheets of paper covered in his attempts at note-taking and abandoned homework assignments.</p>
<p>He grabs a spare pencil and, after sharpening it into a perfect point, continues his doodling.</p>
<p>He knows what everyone says about him, the guy who doesn't know when to <i>shut up</i>, Qwark, no one cares that you got a C on the last quiz, others have done so much better than you. The guy who's all brawn and no brain. The guy who's 26 years old and still in the ninth grade.</p>
<p>It isn't his fault he can't get out of this dump, what with their stupid tests and rigid schedules. He can't get anywhere in life with these <i>impossible systems and rules—</i></p>
<p>That's it.</p>
<p>Qwark shoves the notebook to the side. Grabbing sheets of printer paper from the shelf, he tapes them together until they blanket the wall. In a spark of imagination and pure genius, he gets to work. Writing missions, plans and diagrams in a mad frenzy, until he's covered the entire wall above the table with a guide for himself on how to get out of here, off of this planet even, and make his life so much better.</p>
<p>And at the very top, written in bold, underlined letters:</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <span class="u">"Copernicus Qwark's Amazingly Awesome Plan To Save the Universe From Evil and Despair"</span>
  </b>
</p>
<p>He stands back to overlook his work with pride. With one final nod, he smiles.</p>
<p>"Face it, Copernicus. You've just figured out a way to change the <i>world</i>."</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>When Qwark turns to face the person who dares force him to make a tactical retreat to his base on Magmos, he certainly isn’t expecting a spindly, gangly stick of a man to break through the door.</p>
<p>Even after watching him fight swarms of amoeboids and scorch his lab coat to ashes charging through the dozens of traps and robots guarding the path to him, Qwark still thinks the man looks better suited for holding some lowly office job his teachers and advisors always insisted he settle with instead of realizing how beneath him they are and making way for his rise to glory like they <i>should have</i>.</p>
<p>The dweeb curses as the weapon in his hand he used to break in fizzles and sputters before throwing it over his shoulder in resignation. He looks up and appears to <i>finally</i> notice Qwark standing on the catwalk, giving Qwark a look regarding him as a mere nuisance. Which is impossible because even when backed into a corner Captain Qwark maintains a striking presence and always inspires fear and awe into his enemies. Qwark chooses to disregard the slight against him and clears his throat.</p>
<p>“Ah, so I’m now face to face wi—"</p>
<p>“Who the hell are you? The guy who ransacked my lab? You better be, because I did <i>not</i> blow up my own wonderful creations just so I could find the janitor of this landfill,” the man barks, and crosses his arms.</p>
<p>“Landfill?” Qwark leans forward to stare incredulously at the offense. “Are you suggesting that the one who repurposed those machines and gave them a much greater purpose would really reside in a <i>landfill</i>?”</p>
<p>The man’s eyes dart to the side before looking back. “Yeah.”</p>
<p>Qwark’s mouth quirks down at the blunt response, but he moves on. “I must say, I am impressed with your courage, your <i>audacity</i>. Actually fighting through waves of enemies just to meet me, even though you have no chance of possibly defeating me! Such dedication truly brings a tear to a man’s eye.” He wipes away an imaginary tear to complete the effect. “After all, a beanpole like you is no match for the likes of the great, legendary, all-powerful Captain Q—"</p>
<p>“Oh, would you <i>shut up</i> for one second?!” the man screeches and Qwark jolts. He rakes a hand down his head and Qwark knows that if he had hair he'd be pulling at it in irritation. “Look, I don’t care what your name is or how many adjectives it has in front of it. Now that I know who’s been stealing my shit, all I care about is punching you in the face, asshole!”</p>
<p>Okay, now this is just getting <i>ridiculous</i>. Qwark clenches and unclenches his hand at his side to prevent the irritation from showing on his face. “Now, I don’t like to bother getting to know someone who’ll be dead in a few moments but since no one usually gets this far, I’ll be nice for once and ask you, what is your name?”</p>
<p>The only sound that follows is the gears turning in the pit below them before the nerd finally sighs in irritation. Wiping excess soot from his shoulder in an attempt to look as presentable as one can after leaping over pools of molten metal, the nerd looks at him straight in the eyes.</p>
<p>“It’s Nefarious.”</p>
<p>It finally clicks. Even without the dumb headgear and with a few added inches in height, Qwark could recognize that scowl beneath that gigantic noggin anywhere. His jaw drops before morphing into a smile. “You’re <i>kidding</i>. King of the Nerd Herd?”</p>
<p>Qwark relishes the way the color drains from Nefarious’s face, finally caught completely off guard for the first time since stepping into the room, as the nickname sends him back to a time he considers best left forgotten.</p>
<p>“Ohhhhh no, you can’t be <i>serious</i>. I thought I left all of you drooling imbeciles behind after I graduated. Just my luck one of you decides to become some D-list supervillain,” he groans and pinches the bridge of his nose as the memories flood his mind, and the way he casually groups Qwark into a bunch of nobodies only worth being forgotten—<i>D-list</i>, he can’t even be bothered to say the name <i>Captain Qwark</i>—sends him into a rage he has never felt before.</p>
<p>He stomps toward Nefarious with a speed that causes him to double take as he sees the anger in the larger man’s eyes and he’s forced to back into the railing stopping him from toppling off the platform. He fumbles with a small device in his hands in the few seconds he has the chance to.</p>
<p>“L-Lawrence, now would be a good time to—" Nefarious drops the communicator as Qwark makes to grab him and he immediately kicks out at Qwark's chest in an attempt to distance himself from the hands set on crushing his bones into dust.</p>
<p>The motion gives Nefarious the distance he needs, but not in the direction he wants.</p>
<p>As Nefarious tips over the railing, his eyes meet his own and all Qwark can see is the realization and dread of what’s to come next.</p>
<p>Rage fades away enough for realization and dread to hit Qwark as well, and he turns away as his enemy screams and continues to fall.</p>
<p>And if his stomach churns like he hears the gears churning and grinding bits of muscle and bone below, no one needs to know.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>~</p>
</div><p>He’s watching the stolen insectoids tear apart Metropolis when the nerd decides to come back from the dead.</p>
<p>The plan was simple. Let the insectoids cause panic within the city, and when all hope seemed lost, he'd swoop in, save the day to the tune of the cheering crowds, and make his first step into stardom. And it was going great!</p>
<p>Until he saw something actually fighting back.</p>
<p>Qwark won’t lie, the sight of a single robot tearing through the horde like they were simple organic pests instead of flying death machines instills a fear in him he hasn’t felt since the first time he directly killed a man.</p>
<p>The robot powers on, barely breaking a non-existent sweat as the bribed enforcers carrying weapons also taken from what’s now a bloody pulp in an abandoned lab go down just as quickly as the insectoids, and the feeling comes to a head as the robot finally arrives at where he is watching the chaos below. </p>
<p>The robot's appearance, to be frank, is terrifying. Its face is reminiscent of a skeleton, along with its lithe body and limbs. Even the oversized head doesn't subtract from the effect. The machinery behind the green glass working without pause is a fitting metaphor for the robot's drive toward its target. Its dark coloring and glowing red eyes as it stalks forward make it look like an exterminator robot from one of those action thrillers holo-film producers insist on making every year.</p>
<p>Qwark commands one of the few insectoids still intact to charge at what he now decides is a mechanical grim reaper from its side, hoping the advantage of a sneak attack is enough to finally make a dent in its progress toward most likely blowing him into smithereens or some other unsightly demise. </p>
<p>The robot barely blinks as it catches the metal bug and crushes it with a satisfying crunch.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, instead of immediately retaliating the robot just gives a frustrated look at the crushed insectoid remains in its hand. “Seriously? Years out of high school and you’re still stealing the credit for <i>my</i> work?”</p>
<p>Registering its words, the panic clouding his thoughts clears and Qwark finally realizes why that screechy, if now slightly synthetic, voice sounds familiar. <i>“Nefarious?!"</i></p>
<p>Nefarious gives a slight flourish with his arm and bows. "The one and only."</p>
<p>"How—you’re—I-I saw you! You should be a red smear back on Magmos!”</p>
<p>Nefarious just shrugs in return. “I hate to admit it, but even I have absolutely no clue.” He drops the broken bits of metal and uses his hand to rub his chin in thought, muttering, “It really is a mystery. Sure, I wanted to be the pinnacle of science and technology and rub my achievements into everyone’s faces, but this isn’t the way I would go about it…”</p>
<p>Qwark scowls as he trails off. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a skinny twig of a wimp or a robotic doctor zombie with lasers,” he says, pulling out a blaster he can’t be bothered to remember the name of (Nefarious sees it and lets out a “That’s also mine!”), “you’ll be dead in the next <i>five minutes</i>.”</p>
<p>The last two words Qwark almost growls. Years of preparation, of planning to show the world just what it rejected and now some nerd who shouldn’t even be a footnote in his legacy decides to come back and ruin everything with his new, dumb exterminator body.</p>
<p>The robot grins at the challenge. “Ohoho, I’ll do you one better and kick your ass in half of that. I’ll be honest, Qwark, this’ll be as fun for me just as much as it’ll hurt for you,” he laughs, and forms a ball of plasma in his claws—he has <i>claws</i> now, why did dying give him stuff that <i>cool</i>—while standing ready for battle.</p>
<p>Qwark’s eye twitches and he is just so. Mad.</p>
<p>With a battle cry from Qwark, the two leap at each other and the ensuing event is what some people would call “a one-sided beatdown”, but Qwark knows that those people are <i>wrong</i> and <i>stupid</i> and it should more accurately be described as “a minor setback that really hurt but he’s okay and still going strong if a bit winded”. It ends when Nefarious lands a blow to Qwark’s ribs with his needlessly pointy elbow guard, and—ow, how is that <i>fair</i>?—he clutches the point of impact and falls to the floor.</p>
<p>His soon-to-be-nemesis has the gall to put his hands on his hips while looking down at him. “Aw, I lost track in the middle, but I’ll be nice for once and say it took me four minutes,” he cackles to himself, and squats down—he got taller too, that <i>son of a</i>—to meet Qwark’s withering glare. “And speaking of being nice, I <i>won’t</i> be sending you off to prison so you can rot away like the squishy bag of flesh you are.” He says the last word while poking the downed man in the forehead. As he processes those words, Qwark’s anger pauses enough for him to be surprised.</p>
<p>Nefarious leans down until their faces nearly touch.</p>
<p>"Run, Qwark. Like the spineless coward you always have been and always will be. I'm giving you a 30 minute head start."</p>
<p>The robot stands back up and Qwark runs, not willing to let this chance go to waste and end up in a cell with an irreparable stain on his record. The man risks one last glance behind him as he boards the ship that was meant to carry him into the torn up streets below and into the hearts of the populace.</p>
<p>He sees Nefarious slowly waving, a mocking grin illuminated by his glowing red eyes, and Qwark knows that face will forever be associated with this failure, burned into his mind.</p>
<p>As the ship takes off and breaks through the atmosphere, Qwark punches the control panel. Fortunately not hitting anything critical to piloting the ship, he thinks in hindsight, but his plan was just ruined by a robot that should be dead and he's <i>mad</i> about it, okay?</p>
<p>The way Nefarious talked down to him, the way he destroyed everything in his path, showing no mercy to all that opposed him, he was <i>pure evi—</i></p>
<p>That's it.</p>
<p>Qwark laughs, a deep and confident sound that echoes against the metal walls of the ship.</p>
<p>He finally realizes what he was missing.</p>
<p>If he's going to be a hero, he's going to need a villain.</p>
<p>And he knows <i>just</i> the guy for the job.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can pry italics out of my cold, <i>dead</i> hands.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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